After resting in Inazuma for some time, Lumine and Paimon returned to Komore Teahouse.
But no matter how much they called, Thoma did not appear.
After a while, Kamisato Ayaka also emerged from the internal passage. Seeing Lumine and Paimon, she asked urgently, "Have you two seen Thoma?"
Paimon shrugged. "We thought he was with you. Did something happen?"
Ayaka looked worried. "This is bad. On my way here, I heard that Thoma has been arrested by the Tenryou Commission."
"I couldn't verify the news right then, so I rushed here to confirm. If Thoma isn't here as agreed, it most likely means the rumors are true. The Raiden Shogun is about to hold the 100th Vision Hunt Ceremony before the Statue of the Omnipresent God. And the holder of that 100th Vision, the one who will be publicly subjected to the Hunt... is likely Thoma."
[Paimon: Did the God of Hotpot fail to protect Thoma?]
[Furina: I really didn't expect Thoma's premonition to be so accurate.]
[Zhongli: I am familiar with many of this world's adepti and gods. Among them, there is no 'God of Hotpot'.]
[Lumine: 'God of Hotpot' doesn't sound reliable at all. It should at least be a God of Cuisine or a Hearth God.]
[Madame Ping: The God of the Stove did indeed exist. He was the deity most fond of humanity. If Thoma had prayed to him, it might have had some effect.]
[Paimon: There really was a god related to food!]
[Yae Miko: The God of the Stove exists? Why have I never heard of him?]
[Madame Ping: At five hundred years old, you are still too young. The God of the Stove has not walked the earth for thousands of years.]
[Paimon: In the eyes of a Liyue adeptus, five hundred years old is indeed still like a child. They have followed Rex Lapis for over two millennia.]
[Thoma: Hmm, noted. From now on, when I eat hotpot, I'll pray to the God of the Stove.]
Paimon was also shocked. "Could the ceremony Thoma heard the Tenryou Commission was preparing... have been meant for him all along?"
Kamisato Ayaka nodded. "Most likely, yes. The Shogun and the Tenryou Commission intend to use the 100th Vision Hunt Ceremony to demonstrate the success of the Vision Hunt Decree."
"No, I must go save him!"
Lumine said, "Calm down. You represent the Yashiro Commission. If you go personally, wouldn't that mean the Yashiro Commission is opposing the Raiden Shogun?"
"If you openly defy the Raiden Shogun, the ordinary people affiliated with the Yashiro Commission will also be implicated, won't they?"
Kamisato Ayaka's face was full of concern. "There's no other choice. Time is running out. The ceremony is about to begin. I can't just abandon Thoma. He is my friend."
[Thoma: Sniff... Young Lady, I never imagined you'd be willing to do so much for me.]
[Ayaka: We are friends akin to family.]
[Navia: Haha, it seems the young lady of the Kamisato Clan is also a person who values relationships deeply.]
[Kujou Sara: The Vision Hunt Decree poses no threat to life.]
[Paimon: But losing one's Vision itself is terrifying, isn't it?]
[Lumine: I wonder what Thoma's wish was?]
[Thoma: Me? It was probably to protect the Young Lady, even though her martial skills surpass mine.]
[Furina: Is the Shirasagi Himegimi also a master of swordsmanship?]
[Thoma: Of course! Our young lady is the most excellent. Her Vision came from her dedication to the sword. She has mastered the Kamisato Art of bladework to a proficient level.]
[Paimon: Furina, do you want to spar with Ayaka?]
[Furina: No, no, I have no such intention. I thought Miss Ayaka was like me, someone not skilled in martial arts.]
[Ayaka: I have loved the way of the sword since childhood, and thus have acquired some skill in it.]